Do you think he’d understand weather forecasts if it was put like this:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpxiCxO5k0g[/video]

Edit – Apologies to those that didnt see said minister on our local news earlier

I love that.

What did you think of the light snow showers we had yesterday?

Refreshing! Festive! Glad I wasnt on the M8 though!

Still nobody seems to have any ideas for what else they could have done, not much a gritter in a traffic jam can achieve. Just far too much traffic for the conditions. It’s a shame, they’ve been doing an amazing job for the last week and all they hear is bitching. Some situations you just can’t reasonably account for. Everyone else saw the forecasts and chose to try and drive…

Forecast i saw was for light snow showers.

Im not getting at the gritter drivers etc. I really do think they’re busting their chops! I just felt it for this minister though – trying to find blame somewhere. Actually I’m just poking fun at him!

Everyone else saw the forecasts and chose to try and drive…

The forecast even on Sunday afternoon was light snow possible. By Sunday evening night apparently it had changed to heavy snow (I never saw that one or heard on the radio). I think the transport minister must have seen the same one as me.

I’m sure Stewart Stevenson sits up all night hitting the F5 button on his browser waiting for the latest update 🙄

to be fair grit isn’t actually doing anything, there’s some on the pavements about my bit (southside of glasgow) it’s just lying there not melting the snow, it doesn’t work below -7C or with a large dump of snow on top of it… So i think this blame game is rubbish tbh, sometimes things like this just happen. Especially somewhere like central scotland where we don’t get alot of snow..Cars aren’t set up for snow, that’s the biggest issue here. and it’s unrealistic for people to set there cars up so when you get freak weather like monday, well, chaos will ensue. plus add peoples poor driving skills into that and inability to walk for any longer than 5 minutes.

Agreed with seosamh77

Got a good laugh a Stevenson on Newsnight Scotland last night; what an ass!

The forecast I saw on Sunday evening reckoned on 2 – 5cms of snow on Monday morning, 10cm over high ground. Not exactly a lot. Crucially it also showed the band of snow as being south of Edinburgh by 9am – it in fact didn’t stop snowing in Dunfermline until about 2pm and we got about 5 inches in total. When I woke up there was no chance of driving anywhere so I didn’t bother.

Hopefully people will be less keen to head out in rubbish weather after the problems yesterday and today. Although with employers putting pressure on (rumour going round my work today is that all those who worked from home last week will have to take the time as unpaid leave or annual leave) people are going to bust a gut to get in. When trains can’t seem to run when the temperature gets below freezing it’s no wonder the road network seizes up as well.

This may be of use: employee rights kinda stuff for in the snow and that ken?

This being the important bit, for me anyway, different if your work is still open…

“Workplace closures
If no work is available to you (eg the office has closed and you do not work at home) then your employer cannot dock your pay or require you to take annual leave.”

Stewart Stevenson claims that everybody involved in the road clearing effort has been working to the highest standards. I’m not sure he was including the Fife Council monkeys who got their grit truck stuck in my street on Sunday. They endured some well-deserved ridicule and abuse from the residents before lazily dispensing about 5 shovelfuls of grit then buggering off back to the depot for pies and the Sunday Sport. (Probably)

Good work fellas!

DSC08050 by stuartie_c, on Flickr

Stuartie – that sounds a bit harsh!

What are these grit trucks and snow ploughs that people speak of?

Stuart…the only time I’ve heard you angrier was when we were denied a podium place by miliseconds at 10 More in Moray 😆

We got a gritter up our street on Friday I think. No sign of one since. I reckon the ‘it’s too cold for salt and grit to work’ line might get used heavily over the next few days.

Stuartie – that sounds a bit harsh!

Actually, you’re right. Uncalled for.

Sorry.

That guy in the forecast video often does the local forecast on Accuweather for us in Delaware – he’s normally massively funny, but that one is superb!

I wasn’t angry about that Dan. I only have three emotions – hunger, tiredness and disappointment. I’m not sure which one was provoked on that infamous occasion.

😥

I’ve heard loads of drivers interviewed on the radio recently moaning about the state of the roads. However I’ve yet to hear one interviewer ask “What was the purpose of your journey and was it really essential that you travelled?”.

I suspect less than 10% of journeys fall into the essential category. And I wonder how many of the folk stuck on the motorway on Monday had bothered to stick a spade, some warm clothes and a flask of soup in their car before setting off.

True! Hoping a thaw later this week will at least improve the roads. It’s gonna need to be long and prolonged to get rid of the snow though.

I don’t think the thaw will be prolonged and there will still be significant snow and ice (and lots of ice as result of the thaw) when the big freeze returns. Add any fresh snow on top of that…

stuartie_c – Member

Stewart Stevenson claims that everybody involved in the road clearing effort has been working to the highest standards.

Stuartie, what he actually meant was “my neighbours seem to have done a great job digging out the road whilst I was back at my constituency home”

Stuart – that road looks about the same as ours. Everyone was driving on it happily after a few shovel movements and getting on with life.

Quit your whining, the lot of you (who are) and get on with life. It’s just a bit of cold weather. Sometimes it puts people out. Sometimes people can’t “fix it” for you – get out and fix it yourself if thats the case. We did, and even the 70 year old chap round the corner was out shoveling with a smile and laughing at the moaners.

You’re not having a go at me are you CK? I’d rather you didn’t play the keyboard warrior if you are.

I made a regrettable post above for poor comic effect and I subsequently apologised for it. I’m getting on with life as is everyone around me so don’t get all sanctimonious on here.

Thanks.

Sanctimony grand final:

Coffeeking 1:1 stuartie_c

Extra time will be a gritty affair.